The metaphor of visibility and its counterpart, invisibility, are paired throughout the article in an attempt to characterize the world of three African American women administrators as they struggle for equitable recognition-visibility-within the field of education. Using a naturalistic inquiry advocacy approach, analyses of in-depth interviews revealed portraits of women emerging from the visible absences, illusionary opportunities, and imaginary schools with stories of strength, identity formation, and a collective consciousness in working for and with the Black community in urban schools. Implications of this study for leadership theory, research, and practice are offered.

The purpose of the study was to compare and contrast influences principals have on staffing, curriculum issues, and discipline policies in high-and low-performing urban high schools. The data for the present study were drawn from the first year follow up of the Educational Longitudinal Survey of 2002-2004 (ELS: 02), administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics. Of the 14,000 school administrators surveyed, only high-and lowperforming urban high schools were included for this study. The results of this study revealed four areas where principals differed in their perceptions of their individual influences on academic achievement at their respective schools. Principals from high achieving urban school tend to have more influence on hiring and firing teaching staff and curriculum issues, such as course offerings and curricular guidelines. Principals from low achieving schools have more influence on school funding.

This article explores the interaction of artist and actor voice as presented by Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis in three portraits of African American secondary school female principals that had been constructed in the lead author’s dissertation study. After describing various manifestations of actor and artist voice, emphasis shifts to a third voice—that of the audience. The responses of six diverse reviewers are examined in terms of how they reflect the artist’s intent and add new meaning to the portraits. The article concludes with brief thoughts about the interpretation of portraits, the uses of portraits, and the factors that prepare an audience to learn from a portrait.